Renovation

Lighting is a mainstay of electrical construction. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that lighting accounts for 15 percent of the total electricity consumed in the residential and commercial sectors.

It’s no secret that the global economy, available energy supply and the balance-sheet status of the worldwide electrical supply-chain industry are never going to return to the levels they reached at the end of the 20th century. There is no optimistic rebound coming.

Despite the fact that the US Census Bureau reported, at the end of 2013, that housing starts had increased 29 percent over the previous year, electrical contractors (ECs) generally agree that the residential market is not exactly taking off at rocketship pace.

Many electrical contractors (ECs) view the energy services market as mature with little potential for repeat business. This is especially true for energy conservation and efficiency projects that involve either a particular system component upgrade or an entire system replacement.

Recessed housings have come a long way since their initial introduction into the marketplace. Today, more electrical contractors are using low voltage housings to provide task lighting and are including further accents with a full range of trims.

The home remodeling market should see strong growth in 2014, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released in January by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

As a fire protection engineer who oversees the proposals to repair fire alarm systems, I often experience communication disconnects between the contractor, owner and authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). These disconnects manifest in the extent of changes each stakeholder requires.